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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23316676">Good Hands</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/StubbornBeast/pseuds/StubbornBeast'>StubbornBeast</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Small Town Avengers [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alpha Bucky Barnes, Alpha Quentin Beck, Alpha Steve Rogers, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Awkward Flirting, Beta Peter Parker, Beta Valkyrie, Bonding, Domestic Fluff, Everyone is nosy, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Minor Bucky Barnes/Natasha Romanov, Minor Valkyrie/Pepper Potts, No animals were harmed in the making of this fic, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Natasha Romanov, Omega Pepper Potts, Omega Tony Stark, Past Tony Stark/Quentin Beck, Rancher Steve Rogers, Ranchhand Bucky Barnes, Receptionist Pepper Potts, Small Town Avengers, Stan Lee Cameo, Steve Rogers Wears Cowboy Boots, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Vet Tech Natasha Romanov, Vet Tech Valkyrie, Veterinarian peter parker, veterinarian tony stark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 15:22:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,631</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23316676</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/StubbornBeast/pseuds/StubbornBeast</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Iron Ridge is just a small town filled with big personalities and a veterinary clinic. Let's see how this plays out.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Steve Rogers/Tony Stark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Small Town Avengers [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1676782</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>65</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Welcome to the ride, folks. This is periodically updated because depression is a bitch, but I hope that you enjoy it, nonetheless!<br/>I'm making it into a little series - because who knows, maybe I'll expand past these initial chapters someday?</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/>
<p>“Iron Ridge Veterinary Practice, what can I do for you today…?”</p>
<p>Valkyrie barely had time to hide her laughter behind her hand when Pepper rolled her eyes, natural smile becoming forced.</p>
<p>“No, Mrs. Johnson, Dr. Lee isn’t here any longer… No, I don’t believe he plans on coming out of retirement to see Mr. Kittles… I can assure you that our current veterinarian, Dr. Carbonell is perfectly capable –“</p>
<p>Pepper’s fingers began to fly over the keyboard as she talked, Valkyrie putting the file folder she’d been holding back onto the counter before turning to walk back down the hall. A familiar, muted scent caught her attention as she rounded the corner and stepped into the open doorway of the break room. </p>
<p>“Tash, whatcha doin’?”</p>
<p>The Omega looked up from the coffee pot and gave Valkyrie a pretty smile, inviting the Beta to approach and lean against the counter. She eyed the teal scrubs Natasha was wearing with interest, only to raise her gaze and see the exhaustion on the Omega’s face. </p>
<p>“Isn’t it obvious?”</p>
<p>“I s’pose. Makin’ enough for me, too?”</p>
<p>“Of course, Val. And Tony. We all know what happened last time.”</p>
<p>Both women shuddered before laughing, filling their mugs and sipping before becoming aware of their boss by the sugary scent of the Omega as he whipped into the room.</p>
<p>“Coffee? You’re both brilliant. We’ll need it for the seven neuters I have on the schedule –“</p>
<p>“Seven?!” Valkyrie squawked, jumping as Natasha pinched her shoulder. The redhead ran a hand through her hair and leveled a look at Tony. </p>
<p>“- can’t forget the nail trim on Logan’s dog –“</p>
<p>“God, why <i>couldn’t</i> I forget that?”</p>
<p>“- oh, and we’ll probably have to see Mr. Kittles, judgin’ from the phone call Pep was takin’ a minute ago.”</p>
<p>Tony groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose between two fingers. Mrs. Johnson cared greatly for her large orange tabby, Mr. Kittles, and also for digging her nose into everyone else’s business. The town gossip had a penchant for focusing on Tony, the newest resident to arrive and an Omega with no Alpha to speak of. </p>
<p>“Alright, bottoms up then, ladies. Let’s get to work.”</p>
<p>Tony raised his mug to them both, waiting for them to return the gesture, before chugging the fresh coffee. </p>
<p>Both girls laughed as he sputtered around the hot liquid and stalked to the front of the building to talk the schedule with Pepper. </p>
<p>What he wasn’t expecting to see when he reached the reception desk was a tall body of broad muscles in tight jeans and shirt fit to burst at the seams.</p>
<p>
  <i>Holy sh-</i>
</p>
<p>He stood, speechless, staring at the blond bombshell in front of him as he was bent, resting on the counter and conversing with Pepper. </p>
<p>“ – she’s due any day now, so I’d like’ta have an on-call situation scheduled –“</p>
<p>“No problem, Mr. Rogers. We will gladly help out in any way we can. Dr. Carbonell makes house calls, just as Dr. Lee did.”</p>
<p>Pepper pointedly looked towards Tony, who was prompted to close his mouth and quit looking like an idiot. </p>
<p>“Well… s’long as my Bessy is in good hands…”</p>
<p>
  <i>Inuendo.</i>
</p>
<p>“I can assure you,” Pepper answered, her smile too smug as she glanced at the other Omega and saw the blush creeping into his face as he finally pulled his eyes from the tall Alpha, “Our Dr. Carbonell has very skilled hands, the best in the field.”</p>
<p> “Uh… right, thank you for that, Pepper,” Tony said, trying to scrape the last of his pride off of the floor as he approached the taller man with a hand extended. </p>
<p>“Dr. Carbonell, at your service.” He really hoped his hands weren’t as sweaty as he suspected. Hopefully, tall-blond-and-handsome would just think he had washed his hands. </p>
<p>“Lovely t’meet ya, Doc. I’m Steve Rogers,” he drawled and Tony just about melted, feeling the warm, thick digits wrapping around his hand to return his welcome gesture. “I own Iron Ranch offa East Lake.”</p>
<p>“I’ve driven by there. It’s beautiful.”</p>
<p>“Thank ya.”</p>
<p>Tony thought he spotted a bit of heat crawling up the rancher’s neck, but he chalked it up to a lack of sleep and the caffeine kicking in. </p>
<p>“You’re welcome. I’m sure I can help with… Bessy, was it? When the time comes for her to give birth.” He’d only done a handful of cow births in his career, but he felt confident enough in his abilities. The smile Steve gave him was megawatt and Tony felt his heart skip slightly in his chest. </p>
<p>Jesus, he really needed to lay off of the caffeine. </p>
<p>“I’m sure ya can, Doc. I’ll be sure ta give th’office a call when comes time,” he said, bobbing his head and rocking slightly on the heels of his boots. </p>
<p>
  <i>Who knew I had a thing for cowboy boots?</i>
</p>
<p>“Well, the office closes at seven during the week and five on weekends, but here-“ Tony reached over the desk and tore a post-it from the stack near Pepper. The redhead’s eyes widened as she watched the interaction with curiosity and a secret smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “- this is the emergency number to my phone, directly. I know births don’t follow a schedule, and a house call might work best in this circumstance. Call whenever there’s an emergency and I’ll be there.”</p>
<p>Tony turned around, having had the moment of jotting his number down to compose himself, and smiled as he passed off the bright orange slip to the Alpha. From past experience, Tony was used to turning around and catching the remains of leering glances whenever Alphas were able to sneak a peak at him. He was pleasantly surprised to see nothing but eye contact – damn, those were some <i>baby blues</i> - and that grin. </p>
<p>“Thank ya ‘gain, Doc. Y’all will be hearin’ from me soon, I s’pect.”</p>
<p>“Oh, we’ll be happy to help,” Valkyrie piped up from the hallway entrance, drawing the trio’s attention to where she and Natasha were standing and watching the interaction. </p>
<p>Now it was Tony’s turn to feel heat creeping up his neck as he shot both women a look.</p>
<p>“Yes, well-“ Tony began, struggling for words as he slowly turned back to face the tall rancher, when the bell above their front door dinged and a shorter Beta filed through with a wave of one hand and an enormous dog leashed in the other.</p>
<p>“Doc, sorry I’m late! Stuck behind a horse and buggy – who knew those things were still around?”</p>
<p>Pepper was laughing and rolling her eyes as she stood up from behind the desk, holding out a clipboard to the newest arrival. </p>
<p>“Mr. Barton, pleasure to see you again. Here’s the paperwork for Bones you need to fill out for his procedure.”</p>
<p>“Right, two less eggs in the basket for you, mister!”</p>
<p>Laughter sounded from Valkyrie and Natasha, while Tony merely shook his head and caught sight of the redness creeping up Steve’s neck as he inched towards his escape. He caught eyes with Tony and the Omega thought he saw his smile soften just a little bit.</p>
<p>“See y’all later,” he said with a wave as he awkwardly slipped out the front door. Tony raised his hand in a wave as well before turning back towards Clint and crouching down to the massive height of the dog pulling towards him.</p>
<p>“Bones, huh? We’re going to get you all fixed up and find you a good home with a big yard, children to ride you, and toys to slobber on, hmm?”</p>
<p>Tony scratched under the mastiff’s jowls and cooed at him, allowing the dog to lick over his hands before straightening back up. </p>
<p>“Yeah, this one’s a real lover. But most of the big ones are, right?”</p>
<p>Clint waggled his eyebrows towards Tony before nodding his head to the door Steve had just gone through. The Omega laughed and shook his head, waving a hand as he turned on his heel and walked towards the hallway. </p>
<p>“I’ll have to take your word for it, Clint. Val and Tasha will take Bones from you, won’t you ladies?”</p>
<p>Valkyrie let out an unattractive sound as the massive dog jumped up onto her and knocked her flat. Natasha made sure to pat the dog on the head while Pepper waved Clint out. </p>
<p>“So… Steve sure had some long eye contact with Tony,” Natasha mentioned, taking the paperwork from Clint’s clipboard and shooting a look to Pepper. The other redhead smirked and shrugged a slim shoulder, her pastel pink scrubs shifting with the motion. </p>
<p>“I think it’s safe to say it’s not the last we’ll see of Mr. Rogers,” Pepper said with humor in her tone. Natasha smiled as she tapped her fingers on the paperwork and watched Valkyrie get dragged down the hallway. </p>
<p>“I agree.”</p>
<p>“Maybe he’ll bring his ranch hand with him next time?”</p>
<p>Natasha shot Pepper a look and her lips formed a serious line as she fought the urge to blush.</p>
<p>“I think you’re meddling, Ms. Potts.”</p>
<p>The receptionist’s laughter followed Natasha as she retreated down the hallway.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Slight TW for a rather non-descriptive birthing scene! Really, there's no details, but I just wanna cover my bases to make everyone comfortable :)<br/>I'll mark the start of the birthing conversation with *** and it ends with the break!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p>The call came in the middle of the night. </p><p>Tony jerked awake, his chair creaking in protest as he narrowly missed smacking the back of his head into the lamp over his desk. Casually wiping the drool away from the corner of his mouth, he coughed to clear his throat as he snatched his phone from the edge of the desk right before the vibrations sent it to the ground. </p><p>“Dr. Carbonell speaking.”</p><p>“Doc,” the drawl from the other side of the line sent a shudder down Tony’s spine. “Doc, it’s Bessy. I can norm’ly handle her –“</p><p>“Hurry it up, Stevie!”</p><p>A different accent sounded next, distant and echoing. Tony was already up and throwing items into his emergency bag when he heard Steve curse on the other end. </p><p>“I’ll be there as soon as I can. I’ll call one of my techs to join; she lives a lot closer, from what I understand.”</p><p>“Tasha? Yeah, yeah – okay. Thank ya, Doc…” Steve’s voice was distracted, and even from across the line, Tony could <i>sense</i> the distress. He calmed himself while raking hands through his hair and throwing his front door open, unlocking the truck in the gravel drive that read ‘Iron Ridge Veterinary’ on the side. </p><p>“Deep breaths, Mr. Rogers. I’ll be there shortly, and Natasha will know what to do when she gets there.” Tony ignored the way his voice had softened, purposely trying not to think of how it was the same tone he used when trying to calm one of his patients. It must have worked, or something did, because the next thing he heard was the sound of the Alpha on the other end taking a deep breath and a rustling. </p><p>“See ya soon, Doc.”</p><p>The line went dead as Tony peeled out of the driveway, dialing Natasha’s number as soon as he was able. He put his phone on speaker and tossed it into his lap as he paid attention to the dark road.</p><p>“Tony?” He didn’t miss the sleepy tone of her voice. </p><p>“Tasha – I got the call from Mr. Rogers about Bessy.”</p><p>“I’m on my way,” was the response he got as the line went dead, a smile formed on his lips. He’d have to buy Natasha some of that chocolate she liked. </p><p>Tony was thankful for his erratic sleeping schedule and ability to snap awake at a moment’s notice. His friends – the few he had maintained over the years – would argue that his abilities were ‘unhealthy’, but hey. He had overcome worse behaviors in his younger days: a scar around his naval served as proof. The dark road lacked any light source except for the half-moon and his headlights as he kicked up dust clouds in his wake. He was lucky that Iron Ridge was a small town with and understanding police force. So long as he was speeding off to an animal-related emergency (and being generally safe), he didn’t have to worry about being pulled over. </p><p>He turned a rapid left to avoid one of the few stoplights in the small town, passing by the veterinary office as he drove along the edges of the city proper. His eyes glanced towards the time on the dash and he cursed softly to himself. He was already losing precious time. The truck engine growled as he gave it a bit more gas.</p>
<hr/><p>“In here, Doc!”</p><p>The vaguely familiar accent caught Tony’s attention as he closed the door of his truck, bag in hand. Iron Ranch was a massive plot of land that was surrounded by fencing and bordered by East Lake. Anyone taking the main road into Iron Ridge passed by at least part – if not all – of the property. It was teeming with life: horses, goats, sheep, cows, to name a few. An orchard on the property grew some of the best apples in the county and, according to the locals, Mr. Steve Rogers hosted hay rides and a field maze every year in the fall. Tony had learned a lot about Steve Rogers since his first appearance in the clinic. It was almost hilarious how the man’s name came up in general conversation, word of the single Alpha encountering the new, single Omega in town having spread like wildfire. </p><p>Steve Rogers was the kindest Alpha anyone had known.</p><p>Steve Rogers once saved a boy from drowning in the lake.</p><p>Steve Rogers and his ranch hand Bucky were the town handymen and mechanics, always ready to stop and help out a fellow citizen. </p><p>The list went on and on, and the longer Tony found himself hanging around, the more he learned about the strange Alpha with amazing eyes and an ass that wouldn’t quit. </p><p>Steve <i>wasn’t</i> the one calling his name, though. It was a man who was just as broad, hair a dark umber and eyes sharp in the dim light outside of the open barn. Tony directed to him immediately, his pace quick as he entered the barn and was greeted by the familiar scents and sounds of various farm animals. Among those scents, however, was the cold scent of the man beside him.</p><p>“You must be Mr. Barnes,” Tony huffed out, giving him a half-smile as his mind began to process the scene around him. </p><p>“Bucky’s fine, Doc,” the Alpha answered, his voice gruff but a teasing smile in his eyes. Tony pinned the accent as something decidedly <i>not</i> Southern – Brooklyn, if he had to guess. How odd. </p><p>“Okay, Bucky. Where’s Mr. Rogers and Bessy? Is Natasha here already?”</p><p>“Yeah,” he answered, leading Tony through the massive barn and down a hallway on the right, where he could see a large stall door open and hear voices chatting quietly. “Tasha got here not too long ‘go. Been a real help.”</p><p>Tony smiled with understanding as they both rounded the corner to see Natasha speaking with Steve. The large Alpha was kneeling in damp hay beside the redhead, her hand lightly touching his upper arm in a comforting gesture. Even with suppressants, the other Omegas presence was enough to keep the blond Alpha level-headed in a time of stress. Tony ignored his stomach’s flip of interest at seeing Steve look immediately his way as he came into view with Bucky behind him.</p><p>“Oh, Doc, yer here.”</p><p>“My apologies – I got here as fast as I cou-“</p><p>“No need,” Steve interrupted, though not unkindly, and Tony could feel the Alpha’s eyes tracking him as he sat down his bag and began to gather what he needed. </p><p>“Natasha, what’s happening?”</p><p>“Bessy has a history of difficult pregnancies,” she began, shifting out of the way to let Tony get a closer look at his patient. “Assistance is always necessary, and tonight’s no exception. From just feeling her, seems like the kids aren’t in proper birthing position.”</p><p>“Right, let’s see those… kids…” There was an awkward pause as Tony finally looked up from gloving his hands to see the animal in front of him. It wasn’t what he expected, that was certain. “Oh, Bessy is a goat. Gotcha. Makes sense.”</p><p>“No, it doesn’.” Steve’s words were gruff, but still warm as he shot a look towards the other Alpha in the stall. </p><p>“Awh, come on, Stevie. It’s a good name!”</p><p>“For a cow,” Steve and Tony muttered in unison, before shooting one another surprised, tentative smiles. Natasha watched the interaction with mild interest, reminding herself to text Pepper as soon as they were clear of the birth.</p><p>***</p><p>“Okay… easy, gal. I’m going to get closer. It’s uncomfortable, I know, but I’m going to touch just along here.”</p><p>Tony’s hands were even and easy as he felt along the side of the goat’s body, sensing for pressure and discomfort. He clicked his tongue and began to speak to Steve, sensing Natasha prepping items beside him and trusting her to know what to do.</p><p>“How many kids does she normally have?”</p><p>“Usual’y two larger ones,” came the response as Steve shifted to be near the head of the goat, stroking along her long ears as she occasionally bleated at them all. </p><p>“Alright. I see what you meant, Natasha. I’ll have to assist a little – seems like she’s already pushing and ready to go.”</p><p>“Alrigh’, sweethear’, you can do it. One las’ go ‘roun’ for ya, yeah?” </p><p>It was hard for Tony to ignore the sweet comments Steve made to Bessy as he stroked her ears and cradled her head on his thigh. A small smile played at his lips as he worked his hands to where they needed to be, pulling as the goat pushed, adjusting and tugging as he worked. After several minutes of slight progress, he began to speak over the more distraught noises coming from Bessy.</p><p>“Natasha, towel ready. One’s coming. I don’t think the other is far behind. Dental floss, too. Come here… get closer…”</p><p>Tony adjusted himself and Natasha pressed close, prepared when the first kid made its appearance. The tri-colored goat was large, that much was certain, and it came out already twitching and kicking as Natasha cleaned off its face. Just as it got close to Bessy for proper cleaning, she began to bleat again and Tony was assisting with the second. </p><p>“You weren’t lying, Mr. Rogers,” Tony jested as he used the floss to cut the umbilical cord for Bessy. “They’re big kids.”</p><p>“Always are,” he said, sounding as relieved as his goat looked resting in the hay. Bessy’s dark coat was littered with moonspots, both babies getting their tri-color from their dad, it seemed. Tony shifted to rest back on his heels, yanking at his gloves to discard them before stopping mid-motion at the soft sound Bessy made. </p><p>Everyone froze, looking down towards her as her short tail flicked back and forth and her body urged with a <i>push</i>.</p><p>“Not over yet,” Tony muttered, adjusting his hands. “One more time.”</p>
<hr/><p>“So, you let your ranchhand name your goat?”</p><p>The last little kid had been half the size of the other two, covered in moonspots like her mother. All four goats were resting in the closed stall as the group moved out of the barn. Tony glanced up at the large Alpha in the dim outer light of the barn and watched what looked like a blush climb up his cheeks. Or maybe that was the sun rising? What time was it, anyway?</p><p>“Uh, yeah. It was ‘is turn, anyway.”</p><p>The easy smiles that passed between them were nice, even if Tony wasn’t quite used to such a feeling happening naturally. <i>Probably my lack of sleep and caffeine. Delusional.</i></p><p>“Maybe he gets less turns from now own? I fully expected to come here and help a cow, not an adorable goat.”</p><p>Tony convinced himself that it was feeling returning to his feet from kneeling that made his legs tingle, not the way Steve laughed from deep within his chest.</p><p>“I mean… shoulda said on yer paperwork or somethin’, right Doc?”</p><p>It was Tony’s turn to blush, but he quipped back: “Like I do my own paperwork.”</p><p>That laugh came again and was only interrupted by the sound of a honk in the driveway that startled the pair into looking towards the source. Natasha was leaning out of her SUV’s window, waving at them.</p><p>“See you soon, Tony! Bye, Steve – Bucky!”</p><p>Steve and Tony waved as she drove away, Bucky stepping away from where he’d been leaning close to her car. Both men watched as Bucky waited for Natasha’s tail lights to fade before turning to them and pausing for a moment. Tony’s knowing smile curved up and his eyebrows raised, but Steve didn’t seem to notice the interaction the same way.</p><p>“Grab us some coffee, will ya, Buck? Then we can get star’ed.”</p><p>“Yes, sir,” he half saluted to them both before trudging tiredly into the large farmhouse, rubbing a hand through his hair as the screen door closed behind him. Tony looked back towards Steve and reached to grab his bag, only to see Steve already holding it for him.</p><p>“Thank ya ‘gain, Doc.”</p><p>“I’m just doing my job, Mr. Rogers.”</p><p>“Ya can call me Steve, if ya wan’.”</p><p>Tony sized him up briefly and gave him a smile as the Alpha put his bag into the passenger side of the truck through the open window. He contemplated it before climbing into the driver’s side and turning it on.</p><p>“Well… we’ll see, Mr. Rogers. Call again if you ever need anything!”</p><p>A wave out of the window and he was off, driving down the dirt road with the Alpha waving in rear-view. </p><p>“Oh, I’m sure I will,” Steve murmured to no one but himself and the crowing of the rooster from behind the barn.</p>
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